I think it's time I moved back to the desert

[AdminAssistant]

So, are the boys cute in Kansas?

Heh. Some are. But they come mighty young here (I live in a college town). The challenge is finding a cute one in the right age range.

[Jester]

Ah yes, but what is the average RENT there? What kind of call centers are there, what kind of work for electricians [Sir], etc etc etc.?

Having not lived there in ten years, I cannot answer these questions with precision, but from what my friends have told me and my knowledge of the place, I will attempt to answer them generally, and hope that someone that currently lives in Phoenix can jump in here and give us some specifics.

Rent tends to be reasonable. Keep in mind I am comparing it to ten years in Key West, which has some of the highest rents in the nation, comparable to San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Boston. Phoenix is, compared to these places, far more reasonable. And while Scottsdale and Paradise Valley tend to be on the expensive side for Phoenix, the rest of the East Valley (such as Tempe (my home town), Gilbert (where my best friend and her husband live), Mesa (where Nurse Betty lives) and Awhatukee (where my stepsister lives)) tends to be far more reasonable, both for rent and home purchasing. Feel free to check out rents online for these places if you want more specifics.

I know there are many call centers in Phoenix, but having only worked in one call center in 1992, I can't comment on which ones are there, how they pay, where they are, etc., other than (of course) the one I worked at. At the time, it was a pretty cool job.

As for electricians, well, Phoenix has a huge housing and construction market, which of course is suffering badly right now....but if/when the economy turns around, I imagine that market's health will as well. With housing and construction comes jobs for electricians. Even without that, with all the people that live in the Valley, and all their houses and apartments and businesses, I imagine there is much work for electricians. However, there may be many electricians, and the market may be glutted with them....having never been an electrician and knowing next to nothing about the field, I am afraid all of this is merely conjecture, and I can't give you specifics.

A good catch-all website for things Phoenix, a good jumping off point if you will, is azcentral.com. Check it out.

[Food Lady]

Heh. Some are. But they come mighty young here (I live in a college town). The challenge is finding a cute one in the right age range.

Yeah, well, same here. The ones that like me are too young and the ones my age are married with a bazillion kids.

[blas]

Meh. Around here, it seems almost 80% of guys aged 18-30 have at least one kid....and have been divorced already! If not, then they have 2 or more kids with 2 or more women!

Edit to add: Back to weather.....yesterday it barely went over 60 and rained and then stormed for over 5 hours.....today it's in the 90s with the humidity.....another fun thing about Wisconsin. One day you're wearing a sweater and almost having to turn the heat back on, the next day you're stuck to the bed when you wake up and it's nearly 100 degrees.

[Giggle Goose]

High of 99 today with ridiculous humidity. FML

[Food Lady]

High of 99 today with ridiculous humidity. FML

It was like that for us yesterday. I was at work 1/2 an hour and already soaked, especially down the small of my back. Even my legs were sweaty! I remained disgusting for the next 4 hours until I could shower AGAIN. I really miss the desert sometimes!

[SengaKitty]

Gah what IS this? More RAIN here after oppressingly hot humid heat. Like, evil thunderstorms with more flood watches. And we're predicted to get thunderstorms tomorrow too... Jester if the offer's still open, Sir says he loves Arizona.

[Jester]

Red, the offer is still open, but you and I have discussed the potential major problem with that setup. Outside of that particular issue, I am heading back to Zona next August, and would love to have roommates ready to go.

[SengaKitty]

Well, if nothing else, we would also have potential roommates lined up for the move already [Can you tell everyone in our area's sick of rain?]

[smileyeagle1021]

I know I'm a bit late... but if you want the desert I know somewhere that has both call centers and hasn't been hit as hard in the construction/renovation sectors for the electrician jobs
oh, andmountains too
some of the nicest people you will ever meet
great culture

and I hope none of you thought I was talking about Salt Lake... I of course was referring to the much smaller, yet still oddly a much more developed "city", Reno Nevada.

[Bella_Vixen]

The challenge is finding a cute one in the right age range.

That's the challenge everywhere.

[Elspeth]

I found where the heat went. The Pacific Northwest. It should not be 90!!!!!!! It was over 100 a couple of weeks ago. I don't like this heat. Also I would like some rain to get the crap out of the air, my nose is starting to rebel and the sinus headaches suck.

So send the thunderstorms our way and you can have your bloody dang heat.